Direct lighting equipment



' March 24, 1959 A. E. SPlNETTA DIRECT LIGHTING EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed'Jun 30. 1954 INVENTO W ATTORNEY A. E. SPINETTA 2,879,380

DIRECT LIGHTING EQUIPMENT Original Filed June 50, 1954 March 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENTOi BY f t 6 ATTORNEY United States Patent JO 2,879,380 DIRECT LIGHTING EQUIPMENT Anthony E. Spinetta, Manhasset, N.Y., assignor-to Solux York Application April 4, 1955, Serial No. 499,026, now Patent No. 2,762,911, dated September 11, 1956, which Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New is a division of application Serial No. 440,377, June i 30, 1954, now Patent No. 2,713,631, dated July 19, 1955. Divided and this application January 30, 1956, Serial No. 562,139

2 Claims. (Cl. 240-9) pended pipes, ducts, wireways and the like, as well as the supports for a false ceiling, and the lighting fixture structure, particularly when the fixtures are located where.

they should be for proper illumination of the work area andxwit-h suitable ceiling pattern. v

.The presentinvention relates to lighting equipment which, while suitable for general use and installation as recessed lighting equipment, has provisions whereby it canbe mounted in the optimum location, notwithstand-' ing the necessity of having pipes, ceiling supporting mem-.

bers and the like, extend across the fixtures between the ceiling lin'eand the lamp-level. 5.

To make is possible to accommodate such extraneous parts, the lower side portions of the reflecting trough are formed in such a manner that wherever an obstruction is to be accommodated, a portion of the material of the trough is provided along its lower edge with strips which can easily be broken away from the remainder of the reflector.

A further object of the invention is to provide improvedv direct lighting fixtures in which the socket carrying members and wireway members are secured to the body of the reflector in an inexpensive and expeditious manner.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 499,026, filed April 4, 1955, now Patent No. 2,762,911, as a division of application Serial No. 440,377, now Patent No. 2,713,631.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the present invention, one embodiment in which the invention may take form, it being understood.

that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view showing the assembled reflector with lamp sockets, the lamps being omitted:

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a fragment of the reflector together with a socket carrier and a fragment of the wiring channel;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, showing the parts in assembled position;

Figure 4 is a perspective view taken from underneath and diagrammatically illustrating the reflector assembled with the supports for a hung ceiling;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the sup- 2,879,380 Patented Mar. 24, 1959 ice reflector supported directly from ,the superstructure;

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic inverted plan view illustrating the relation of the continuous row of fixtures and the ceiling supporting structure;

Figure 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 3, illustrating the assembly of the socket holder and reflector and also illustrating the ceiling supports and reflector;

Figure 9 is a sectional .view taken on-the line 9-9 of Figure 8; i

Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating the construction shown in Figures 8 and9; and Figure 11 is a fragmentary view similar to a portion of ,Figure 8' illustrating the accommodation of a pipe or other obstruction extendingacross the reflector.

. In the drawings an elongated sheet metal reflector is indicated generally by the letter R. This reflector has an overall length .equal to normal lamp length, for example, 24 inches or 48 inches. As shown in the drawings, the reflector R has a wide, flat topwall 10, downwardly and outwardly flaring side walls 11,11. Near the lower edge of the side walls the metal is bentoutwardly as shown at 12 to form flat, downwardly facing seating areas, and beyond these flat areas aredownwardly. extending narrow flanges 13. While the metal from which the reflector is made is still in. the flat condition, it has been punched through to provide a number of slits or cuts 14 which do not extend all the way to the outer edge of the blank (or lower edge of the reflector side walls). The

outer, surface of each reflector side wall is preferably weakened by a score line 15 cut into the material at the level of the upper end of the cuts or slits 14.

The reflector profile is ,unif0rm and continuous from end to end and the vertical slits or cuts are so narrow as not to permit of an appreciable light loss through leakage of light through the same.v The optical characteristics of the reflector are therefore unimpaired by the provision of the cuts or slits referred to, and as there is material along. the lower margin of the reflector below the,cuts 14, as shown in the dr'awings, the rigidity of, the reflector is not substantially affected by the cuts.

To facilitate the securement of the sockets, ballasts and the installation of wiring, the top of the reflector near its ends and its outermost side edges is provided with prongs 20, 20 which are spaced below the lower face of the top wall of the reflector, as more clearly indicated in Figure 8. Socket carriers 21, 21a support a plurality of sockets 22 and starters 23 (where starters are employed). The socket carriers 21 and 21a have upwardly bent ends 24, 24 which carry inwardly extending flanges 25, 25. These flanges are spaced the-right amount to pass between the prongs 20, 20 and the lower surface of the top wall 10 of the reflector.

The socket carriers are normally left open along the edge which is to be toward the end of the reflector and have upwardly extending flanges 26, 26 along the opposite edge. The socket carriers 21, 21a, together with the sockets 22, starters 23 and wiring harness (not shown) can be preassembled on the bench. The ballasts, such as indicated at 27 may be secured to the under face of the reflector. With a four foot reflector these ballasts may be in tandem, as indicated, whereas with a two foot unit with four lamps, the ballasts can be placed side by side.

In installing the wired parts the two socket carriers with associated wiring are placed in the upside down reflector and each is moved from position as indicated by C a dot-dash lines, Figure 3, toward the end of the reflector" i so the flanges 25 pass under the prongs 20.- The wiring is then secured in place by bolts 31 and nuts 32, shown in Figure 2. This trough covers the ballasts, conceals the wiring and ensures proper spacing of the socket carriers and sockets.

Where the end of the fixture is to be closed, as indi= cated at the left of Figures 1, 2*, 3' and 4, an end or'cross plate 33 is secured in place by rivets or screws 34, as indicated; At the right of Figure 1, no such end plate is indicated, for where the fixtures are continuous, such end plates are not necessary.

p The lighting fixture unit including the reflector, lamp socket, socket carriers, ballasts, wiring cover member and end" plates (where used) may be completed, wired and boxed for shipment at the fixture factory and the fixtures are suitable for use either as open fixtures or as recessed fixtures. The installation of such fixtures to form a continuous row recessed above a false ceiling is illustrated in Figures 4 to 10.

I In Figure 5 the structural ceiling is indicated at 40. Suspension devices 41, such as wires, straps and the like, commonly used for the purpose, are employed to support transverse members indicated at 42, and" these transverse members in turn support, by' means of ties, hooks or the like, indicated at 43', longitudinally extending runners 43. The runners and cross members form a grid below the structural ceiling which is adapted to support the ceiling surfacing material 44 and provide long open spacestor" the lightingequipment. Where the fixtures are to be supported from the runners 43 as indicated in Figures 5 and 8 tolO, inclusive, the installer, with shears or snips, can make cuts which continue the cuts 14 in the reflector walls down to the lower strips so that they can be bent outwardly and upwardly toclear the obstruction. The strips may be readily broken on, if desired, because of the score line 151 In this manner, holes or openings are provided tor accommodate the obstructions such as the transverse members 42 or the pipes 42f, Figure 11'. These obstructions may occur at various places" lengthwise of arising at the site of' installation. The reflectors may rest on the runners without being fastened to them, or the reflectors may be fastened to the runners, as desired. The lamps L may be passed up between the cross members and shifted into position. As shown in Figure 6, the fixtures may be secured to the structural ceiling 40 by pendant hangers 50 and the cross members 42 and longitudinal members 43 supported from the structural ceiling, as before. The ar rangeme'nt shown in Figure 6 is suitable for use where the lighting fixtures are installed first, and the false ceiling installed'lat'er.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, I wish it to be understood that the particular form shown is but one of these forms, and, various modifications and changesbeing possible, I do not. otherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto. What is claimed is:

' I. The combination with a suspended ceiling construction having longitudinally extending runners forming ceilingsurfacing supports and disposed to form longitudinally elongated spaces for lighting equipment and transversely extending runner supporting members which cross said spaces, of direct. lighting equipment including longitudinally extending reflectors which cover the said. spaces, the side walls of the reflectors each having a plurality of spaced individually removable cutouts along a substantial part of at least each end portion to accommodate the transversely extending runner supportingmembers, thereflectors extending above the said members and car'ryingldngitudinally extending fluorescent lamps above the said. members.

2. The combination with a suspended ceiling construc-* tion having-longitudinally extending runners forming ceiling'suriacing' supports and disposed to form longitudinally elongated spacesfor lighting equipment and transversely extending runner supporting members which cross said spaces, of direct lighting equipment including longitu dinallyextending reflectors which cover the said spaces, the sidewalls of the reflectors each having a plurality ofspaced individually removable cutouts extending inwardly from the. lower edges of said walls to accommodate the transversely extending runner supporting members, the reflectors extending above the said members and carrying: longitudinally extending fluorescent lamps above the said members. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,210,268 Chambers Jan. 20-, 1942 2,313,687 Walker etal Mar. 9, 1943 2,376,715 Naysmith- May 22, 1945 2,762,911 Spinetta Septll, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,897 Australia July 6, 1927 

